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The Smiler - General Discussion

A better bag storage solution on Smiler could probably have been retro-fitted to the wall between the station and exit stairs - deposit bags when you're batched, collect when exiting. There's currently a door there, but I'm not sure if/why that's necessary.
 
I’m sorry but this bag room cutting system is just shambolic and stupid cost-cutting as far as Merlin is concerned.

Two of the greatest hazards with baggage are lost/stolen items and large groups/luggage. These both have a noticeable impact on the smooth throughout and operation of the coaster.

I get it that budgets are tight and everything, but this just comes across as desperate and petty to saving a few pennies on staffing whilst reducing satisfaction to workers and visitors considerably.

It’s a shame to see that despite the promising potential of the Wickerman, the rest of the Park and it’s operations continue down this slippery slope because of I’m proportional budgets and the like.
 
spinba11 said:
I’ve seen photos and it looks awful, what I can’t get my head round is how will RAP merge with the main queue.
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I guess RAP users will have to merge themselves with the main queue, as there's no staff member there now. :rolleyes:
 
Wait so.... there’s zero attempt at security for the bags? They just sit there while a few trains go through open for anyone to snatch yours?

Is Spinball the only other ride that currently does this? Has theft been a bigger issue on that than say... Nemesis?

I mainly try to manage a day on park using just pockets anyway but definitely won’t be taking a bag now.
 
I'm just going to have to put my phone in a zipped up pocket because I don't at all trust that system, which anyway is a bigger health and safety risk.
 
TPC said:
I'm just going to have to put my phone in a zipped up pocket because I don't at all trust that system, which anyway is a bigger health and safety risk.
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Exactly. I won’t be taking a bag anymore meaning my pockets will be full. I refuse to pay for a locker that charges each time you open it. Either invest in free Orlando style lockers, or get ones similar to Blackpool where you only pay once (which I don’t mind doing)
 
TPC said:
I'm just going to have to put my phone in a zipped up pocket because I don't at all trust that system, which anyway is a bigger health and safety risk.
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You can buy these thing called belt/bum bags, they tie around you waist under your coat/jumper and have enough room for a phone, packet of fags, some money etc. We use them and because they fit under your clothing, also stop you being pick pocketed in the queue (which happens a lot on certain days). The good thing is you can also take them on the ride, and security never see them so they never insist on putting you through a pointless bag check.
 
IanSR said:
You can buy these thing called belt/bum bags, they tie around you waist under your coat/jumper and have enough room for a phone, packet of fags, some money etc. We use them and because they fit under your clothing, also stop you being pick pocketed in the queue (which happens a lot on certain days). The good thing is you can also take them on the ride, and security never see them so they never insist on putting you through a pointless bag check.
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I do exactly the same mate. I've got this and it keeps all my valuables in and I have it underneath my t-shirt. Very handy and you don't have to worry about leaving your stuff at the station. Also you don't get security checked so you get through a little quicker. Highly recommend, I've been using them for quiet a few years now. And buy a spare just in-case it breaks - I've keep another in the car. So far I've had one break and that was while in Europa Park and the zip got stuck I ragged at it and the zip came off so I just went back to the car and got my spare. So over I would say 5ish years I've used two. Still got another spare here.
 
I wouldn't mind lockers like at Six Flags. They cost a dollar for two hours or something like 8 a day which is pretty reasonable IMO. I saw a group of girls who decided to put their bags on the station for Toro though and got all their bags/phones stolen. When the place provided you with lockers I couldn't help but feel a little bit of schadenfreude!
 
I never understood having the staffed baggage holds, it’s such an expensive solution to a simple problem.

That said this bodge job is an absolute joke, seriously the ride looks derelict. Not sure how fire safety team have allowed them to effectively block a fire escape either.
 
Rollercoasters4Life said:
I do exactly the same mate. I've got this and it keeps all my valuables in and I have it underneath my t-shirt. Very handy and you don't have to worry about leaving your stuff at the station. Also you don't get security checked so you get through a little quicker. Highly recommend, I've been using them for quiet a few years now. And buy a spare just in-case it breaks - I've keep another in the car. So far I've had one break and that was while in Europa Park and the zip got stuck I ragged at it and the zip came off so I just went back to the car and got my spare. So over I would say 5ish years I've used two. Still got another spare here.
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Yup that's the exact thing we've got, although mine came off the bay from China.
 
Matt N said:
The best way would be to have free lockers outside the rides, like Universal and SeaWorld have in Orlando, as it doesn't require staff or increase faff in the station.
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The lockers at Universal require a lot of staff as there are always guests who forget which locker they had or their thumb print fails or they don't have the cash to pay for it as they exceeded the free period. Sometimes keeping it simple can help...
 
Matt Creek said:
I get it that budgets are tight and everything, but this just comes across as desperate and petty to saving a few pennies on staffing whilst reducing satisfaction to workers and visitors considerably.
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A few pennies? They'll save six figures over the course of the season. Baggage holds are incredibly expensive. I can't believe Merlin have them operating so widely across the estate.
 
Rick said:
A few pennies? They'll save six figures over the course of the season. Baggage holds are incredibly expensive. I can't believe Merlin have them operating so widely across the estate.
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Because historically they have a disjointed design and project management structure run by people who didn’t really understand theme parks plus a conflict between capital investment budget and operational costs long term.....
 
Rick said:
Baggage holds are incredibly expensive. I can't believe Merlin have them operating so widely across the estate.
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Presumably for the same reason that Air was initially built with 2 stations and has continued to use both (at least at peak times) ever since, because capacity, and guest experience, matters. Cynically speaking, I might go so far as to say the reason Galactica still runs both stations whilst bag stores have been boarded up is that the capacity reduction is not so immediately obvious.

By a purely cost saving logic, all coasters would have been limited to 1 train operation ages ago, but in the case the the Smiler, the loss of capacity might not result in a net saving if reduction in fastrack allocation offsets the savings made on a couple of staff. At the very least they should have kept the option of using the baggage rooms on busy days to maximise capacity. When queues are minimal their use makes little sense.
 
Just watching the latest Expedition Theme Park video on YouTube - The Troubled History Of The Smiler.

Sorry to bring this up again as it's a touchy subject but we're all adults here.

I've got a rather blunt question, how many people lost their job over the accident? I'd assume just the single person responsible for over-riding the computer system and sending the train out. But then I heard it took 20 mins for the first 999 call to be made, which is absolutely shocking and not the sole responsibility of the ride op.

I really feel for those working on the ride that day, and if they were sacked and held responsible that would be very difficult to deal with mentally.
 
Was it not determined that procedure was followed, and it was the procedure which increased the time before the call to 999.

My understanding was that the on-site emergency (first aid?) Team is called. They attend and make an assessment of whether it is necessary to call the emergency services.

However in a crash of this kind you'd really expect someone would've not waited to call emergency services. The two should really have been called simulataneously.

I'm not sure it needs to be public knowledge who lost their job because of this disaster.
 
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